Promise
by Brionacs
Summary: And for the rest of her life, she still stayed by his side, and she never hated it. [Alibaba x Kougyoku]
1. Prologue : Promise Keeper

**This is a work of a mere fan's fiction. Any similarities or likeness to any events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Magi belong to OHTAKA Shinobu.**

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**Prologue: Promise Keeper**

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War came and gone. Two entered, one exited, as simple as that. The victorious lived to tell the tale, about how amazing they put their enemies in their places, while hogging all the spoils. The one on the losing end? Left as nothing more than a mere history, with bad tastes all over their names.

Like what had happened to the once-huge Kou Empire.

The eruption between Reim Empire and the magician nation Magnostadt had made the worst turn ever possible. Fanalis Corps jumped in, only to be countered with uber-level magics from the Magnostadt's part. Countless clashes sparked, unlimited numbers of bloods and victims were wasted.

It only got worse when Kou Empire had decided to jump in to stop the grand battle. No, 'stopping' wasn't the correct phrase, they were 'spicing' the war. Led by the third Emperor, Gyokuen Ren, the majestic nation had no trouble turning the tide of the war.

At least until he had appeared.

Sinbad, followed by his Eight Generals, as well as The Seven Seas Alliances had come to neutralize the war. Words and political things couldn't settle things anymore in that state. Flags were raised, arrows were shot, and blades were raining even more.

The biggest war in the history had ended after a full week of fighting, with Magnostadt emerged as the winner. Of course, that was mostly because of Sinbad's reinforcement, which contributed to the result the most. Most of the Fanalis Corps and Kou Empire warriors, especially the great Ren families were obliterated.

Kougyoku Ren wasn't.

Her brothers and sisters had persuaded her, her cousins and her bodyguards had joined to prompt her to join the fights, even the Emperor herself had personally ordered her to jump in to the fray. Yet in the end, she resisted from doing so, for she had made a promise. A promise to herself, and her only friend.

The consequences were pretty devastating for her, however. Kougyoku was quickly labeled as a traitor, and Gokyuen had simply ordered assassins to end her life. The eighth princess wouldn't go down without a fight, obviously. She had corresponded by running away of the palace to somewhere saner for her by herself, which miraculously succeeded. She had somehow managed to outrun her chasers, no thanks to her own capability on the battlefield.

Still, she no longer had a place to call home at that point. The only place she could resort at that time was… Her enemies' nest, the Magnostadt side. That was the only spot she could think of, for she had hoped Sinbad would at least lent her a shelter.

But just like they had said, the world was never all sunshine and rainbows. She had known it all herself.

The moment she had stepped in to the other parts of the raging battlefields, dozens of soldiers quickly surrounded her figure, pushing her down so that her face met the rough surface of earth painfully. Pinning her slender arms behind her back, countless blades were just before the tip of her neck, threatening to take her life at any moment.

At that moment she had just realized that that she had thrown her duties and dignity as a princess of the Kou Empire, and she was served with her just dessert.

But it was worth it.

Keeping a promise, and not to mention preventing more bloodsheds by her hands, were definitely worth it.

Kougyoku closed her eyes in reliefs, inhaling a very deep breath to prepare for her last moment. At the very least, she would die as a girl who had been honest to her own feelings and justice, and as a girl who had experienced her very dreams; falling in love.

This way, she wouldn't end up in Sinbad's arms like she had always dreamed, she was only going to be beheaded without any sense of honor. Yet again, it was worth it. The place she stepped on was another land where Sinbad had once resided. Even the faintest fact that he had been by her side on her last moment once was more than enough.

It never came.

The sharp and pointy blades never touched any part of her skins even further than that. Not only that, the strong hands that had rendered her arms unusable were loosening. The shadows of the soldiers that had surrounded her slowly distanced themselves from her as a single man approached her.

Alibaba Saluja.

Unlike how she had seen him the last time they met, his hair was tad longer and his expression was… manlier than that dorky face that she could still picture clearly, while still bearing the same tenderness and gentleness through the reflection of his glass amber eyes. His clothes were tore in some parts, and his façade was painted with cuts here and there, clearly showing the result of his battles against uncountable men that he had slashed down.

"Kougyoku?"

A simple question from his part made Kougyoku's knees weaker than ever as thousand waves of reliefs swept over her insides. Her expression didn't betray her hearts no sooner, crystal tears of eases fell from her eyes like a waterfall.

Alibaba had so many questions regarding her at that point; about what she was planning, about why she was here, about how did she get here in the middle of war… But he threw them aside for a moment as he ordered the most absolute order to the soldiers.

"Men, get back to your posts!" Alibaba controlled as he approached the crimson haired princess, kneeling down so that his height rivaled hers. "She'll be in my care, personally!"

Kougyoku could only stare at Alibaba beneath the tears that had soaked her eyes, as well as how hordes of soldiers quickly scattered back to their own posts. She didn't even make any attempt to wipe them with her sleeves. The only motion that her muscles did was sobbing.

"Why are you here, Kougyoku?" he asked her, worries were clear from his tones. "How could you be here unarmed?"

His question left the result that he hadn't expected. Instead of a clear answer from her mouth, she was only crying harder on her spot. The feelings overwhelmed her, which triggered her body to storm against his body, embracing him in a hug.

She didn't know what was happening anymore. She didn't care what was happening anymore; about the wars, about the politics, about anything else in this cruel world.

"Alibaba-! Alibaba-!" she buried her sweet face against his boyish chest. "I'm scared… I'm scared…! I-I don't want to do this anymore…!"

Those were the first and the second time she had called him —her first friend— by his name, something that she had always prevented to come out due to her place as a princess, a supposedly strong one.

But here she was, crying her heart out and confessing her fears out loud.

Alibaba himself didn't pursue the topic further. He didn't know what exactly she had gone through, but she was clearly distressed, and that was more than enough reason for him to help her. He replied her hug with something no less than a protective hug of his own, soothing her fragile back with his wounded hand.

"Kougyoku," he asked when he figured that a minute had passed after they had first ended up in that position. "Can you walk?"

Kougyoku muttered no words, only a small nod that was still brushing against his chest. Her knees were still weak, but gently, Alibaba supported her by holding her side as they walked to his personal tent.

As soon as they were inside, the third prince of Balbadd politely led her to his mattress, where she gladly accepted.

"Stay here, okay?" he smiled a reassuring smile, adding a small pat on her small shoulder. "It's going to end soon. Don't worry."

Her expression showed neither happiness, sadness, nor anger. She only stared at him blankly, unclear emotion reflected through her very eyes, in which that led Alibaba to downgrade his expression to a sadder one as well.

What had happened to her was definitely beyond Alibaba's understanding. He could read the traces of sadness from her dead fish eyes, but he couldn't tell the obstacles that she had to pass, along with how deep the fears had scarred her.

"Kougyoku."

When he called her name again, that was when she managed to respond with another small nod. Alibaba sighed in appeasement at that. He patted her once again on her shoulder, smiling lightly as he rose to head outside to partake in the war once again.

Kougyoku, however, prompted him to turn his head back at her again when Alibaba felt her soft fingers brushed against his pants. As his eyes met her, her eyes were no longer blank. They were filled with emotions and liveliness, but mostly were anxiety, if not fears.

"Alibaba…" she clenched his pants tighter, her lips trembling with horrors. "You will… You will come back, right? You will not die, right?"

If she said it like that… Well, he couldn't do anything much, to be honest. War was not something one should take lightly. A little opening, and it might cost you your life.

Regardless, Alibaba forced himself to smile at her. He turned back to face her completely again as he calmly removed the dark blue tunic that was slanting around his shoulder. As gentle as he could, he slowly covered her frail build with that. This, of course triggered Kougyoku to blink at him curiously twice.

"I'll come back for that," he assured. "And for you as well."

Blushes were slowly creeping up to her cheeks as his words entered her ears. But for once in her life, she didn't come up with any words or actions to deny it, she was purely mesmerized by his words, by his gentleness.

For once, she was admiring someone that wasn't her brother Kouen or her unrequited crush Sinbad.

As she was petrified on her point, Alibaba merely chuckled as he brushed up his clothes a bit, slowly walking out of his tent soon after. Kougyoku was once again left by herself, albeit this place was guaranteed for its safety compared to her prior lone journey.

Even though Alibaba's tunic was ripped, and presumably colored with red bloods, Kougyoku still kept covering her body with it. It was quite an indecent thing to do, but she brushed her nose against it, subconsciously smelling the adolescent scent of Alibaba from it.

For the rest of the war, Kougyoku Ren stayed by Alibaba's side.

And for the rest of her life, she still stayed by his side, and she never hated it.

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**To be honest, I don't know what I wrote in this chapter. Not to be dismissive of other characters' importance, but I've planned this story to be centered on Alibaba and Kougyoku, especially the latter, probably three fourth of this story from Kougyoku's side and the rest from Alibaba's. Yeah, this prologue is basically just a random setting to make a good setting where Alibaba would take Kougyoku under his care in Balbadd alone, which you would see by the next chapters.**

**I ship them and I don't regret it. They have the same voice actors of my two OTPs from other categories as well, which are Ace x Deuce from Final Fantasy Type-0 and Shu x Ayase from Guilty Crown.**


	2. Chapter 1 : An Old Oath

**9 favorites, 10 followers, and 4 reviews merely from the prologue? Holy Djinn, I love you guys. Enjoy your first chapter. **

**Oh yeah, if it wasn't obvious enough from the premise, character(s) death are not inescapable. Not the two main characters, though.**

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**Chapter 1 : An Old Oath**

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"Give me that note as well, Ja'far."

"Yes."

Ja'far quickly grabbed the top note from one of the stacks of notes in Sinbad's private chamber, politely passing it to his superior as quickly. The blue haired king swiftly grabbed the said note just right after he finished the one on the table in front of him. The finished notes were actually forming a neat piece of another stack of notes altogether by his side.

"Spartos," Sinbad continued, idly pointing at the queue of papers he had yet to be done, on the far side of the room. "I expect that to be done in an hour."

"My lord."

Without further words, the red haired general grabbed his own portion of paperwork before he quickly head for his own desk, putting things in motion no sooner.

With all his burdens shared together with his eight generals, Sinbad stifled an excruciated sigh from his mouth. Sure, the war had been finished with his favors, and there were no further bloods to be shed this way. Yet, that didn't mean that he liked how things turn out; millions of warriors were dead, millions of families were crying for them, millions of souls were lost without a trace of hope.

Especially the losing side, the Kou Empire.

Granted, they were his enemies, but the king still couldn't help but pity what would happen to them, mainly their peoples. They were left without a single figure to follow on. An empire without a leader was as good as wrecked. Steepling his hands together on the table, Sinbad rested his temple against them, his mind wandering.

What should he do with the survivors of the Kou Empire? With those two?

…

A dark, unwelcoming cell. No matter what, Morgiana could never take a liking to a place of this sort. This place might be different than the one that she had been in when she was still in her childhood, but jail, after all, still gave an uncomfortable nausea inside her stomach, albeit it was only the slightest. There was actually no one forcing her to come to this part of the castle, but still, she knew more than enough that she was needed here.

Leaning her back on the hard wall, she rotated her neck back so that she could peek what was behind the steel black bar of the jail. Aladdin, who was already by her side for the same duration, copied her action to glance at the cell, sad and pitying gaze was obvious from his eyes.

Inside the cell was Hakuryuu Ren.

He was the only one beside Kougyoku who had survived. No exaggeration, he was actually the one who contributed the most to Kou Empire's lost. Sinbad might be the one who penetrated the absurd defense of the great Ren family, but it was not going to be the fall of Gyokuen Ren if not for Hakuryuu's last minute action. He, in fact, was the one who laid the final blow to his mother, ending her throne right on the spot.

Hakuryuu was a traitor at best. But he didn't care. He was content. He was happy. All his desire and revenge were paid off, handsomely. He was supposed to be happy.

Yet, he was not.

Because the only sunlight to his dim moonlight, his dearest sister, Hakuei Ren, was no more. She was killed during the grand battle to her enemies. Hakuryuu, who witnessed the whole event, went into a homicidal rampage of his own, killing everything that went past his scarred eye. Archrivals, enemies, friends, and even families. No exception.

That required Sinbad to jump in personally. Sure, Hakuryuu was strong, but he was conflicted with emotions inside at that time and that led to Sinbad's advantage. A simple full Djinn equip, and Sinbad singlehandedly came out victorious. He would have already killed Hakuryuu as well, if Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana didn't jump in between to prevent him from ending the boy's life.

But as someone with such threats, no matter how much beautiful words came out from their mouths, Sinbad was required to put him in a tight prison. That was how Hakuryuu ended up here.

Hakuryuu himself didn't seem to react all that much to this treatment, though. He barely spoke a word, only sitting there on the corner, as if contemplating something. He didn't even eat the food that he was given. It was astounding that a week had already passed without Hakuryuu eating anything, but the prince didn't seem to grow any weaker.

Alibaba, Morgiana, and Aladdin, who kept visiting him, had earned no response as well.

It was only when the guards came up and opened the jail's door that Hakuryuu moved a muscle.

…

This shouldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening.

But in the end, it happened.

The cunning general of Kou Empire, Kouen Ren was no more. The mischievous dark magi, her little Judal was no more. Even her most trusted man, Koubun Ka, was no more. They were all dead.

It took no long after the news came to her that Kougyoku entered the state of total sadness, if not depression. The people that she had always looked up to… The people that had always looking for her were anything but alive. She had intended to make a request to her savior Alibaba to spare them if he could, but in the end, it was left unvoiced. She couldn't bring herself to speak such an indecent request.

For she, after all, was a princess.

She didn't know for how long she had cried. Nobody told her. Nobody except Alibaba. He was the only one who kept checking on her, offering her foods whenever it was the time for her to eat, his ears whenever she needed to cry, and his shoulder whenever she needed one to lean on. Just like what was happening right now, he gently wiped her tears away from her pure face.

"Are you hungry?" he asked warmly.

Kougyoku was not cruel enough to lie to him, of all people. She gave a fragile nod at the male teen, albeit only at the slightest. Luckily, Alibaba was not one to force his will at her.

"Do you want to eat?"

His other question, however, was answered with a simple headshake from Kougyoku. Again, that was no lie from her. Although not as extreme as Hakuryuu, she couldn't find herself much appetite after the recent war.

Sighing dejectedly, Alibaba patted Kougyoku's frail shoulder. "Just call me when you feel like eating, ok?"

She returned his question with a small nod, and to that, Alibaba decided to return to take care of his own business as of now, giving Kougyoku some more time alone.

…

Alibaba muttered a small sigh as he walked through the enormous hall of Sindria Castle. The atmosphere was hurting him. Sinbad and his generals were busy assorting things out, Kougyoku was still depressed, and Hakuryuu was no better. Aladdin and Morgiana were, apparently, starting to get influenced by those things as well, although the former was not showing any negative reaction whatsoever.

The smiles that should be there weren't there, that was what Alibaba hated the most right now. Sure, he knew that everyone had their own fair share of responsibility, but that definitely didn't mean that they should be too captivated in them that they forgot what was important.

Talking about responsibilities, though… This was past time that he needed to tell his two friends.

Alibaba was about to stride over to find both Aladdin and Morgiana, yet rather, it was them who were appearing. Both of them were walking just past him on the hall to his right. Of course, the prince of Balbadd took his chance to approach them.

"Hey, you two!"

Unlike he had expected, the moment he was by them, their responses were rather… less spirited than he had initially thought.

"Er," he scratched the back of his head, unable to comprehend their situations. "What's wrong?"

"It's Hakuryuu," Aladdin, being the less dispirited of two, was the one to answer. "They took him."

Without a single doubt, that sent the surprise into Alibaba. His eyes even grew a little wider. "'They'? 'Took'? Where?"

"Sinbad's guards," this time, the female out of the three was the one who responded. "His Majesty summoned him. We're about to see him as well."

Obviously, Alibaba still had hundreds of questions regarding that. Still, as of now, he simply nodded lightly as he joined his friends in making a certain beeline to the throne room. He could discuss about his own matter later on after this.

…

To this kind of situation, surprise was but an understatement for Kougyoku.

Just right after Alibaba left her room, the door to her room was opened again. This time, it was not by a gentle knight whatsoever, it was by Sindria's royal guards, dressed in full armors and their lances stood strong by their sides.

Furthermore, they then stated that His Highness asked an audience with her.

Despite how Alibaba insisted that they ought to treat her as a guest, the guards knew better. Kougyoku was an enemy, their enemy. She was a prisoner of war, if any. Thus, they 'stated' was probably not the right terms. They 'ordered' her to come to King Sinbad as soon as possible.

Even though she was still confused, the young princess of Ren obeyed. She wiped the remnants of her tears away from her face with her slender arm, nodding at them, before she quickly brushed herself to walk to Sindria Castle's audience court was. Truth to be told though, she felt rather less perplexed with those… _escorts_ escorting her to Sinbad's side, for their spears were practically threatening her unarmed figure as they walked.

Yet, she voiced no objection. She was rather used to be treated like a piece of useless waste, ever since she had lived in Kou Empire's castle. Something like this was something she could endure.

When she arrived at the throne room, however, she was presented with something even more surprising. Sinbad was sitting relaxingly on the throne, by his side was his eight generals, who all survived the great war. Those generals seemed to notice her entrance, although Sinbad was not, due to the fact that his vision was focused to another man who he was talking with.

The other survivor from Kou Empire. The other surviving Ren family beside her. Her cousin, Hakuryuu Ren.

Whether it was because he seemed to notice Kougyoku's entrance, or because his conversation with Sinbad was over, Hakuryuu gave a slight bow at the king of Sindria before he rotated on his heels to head outside again.

Kougyoku's curious eyes met Hakuryuu's expressionless one for a slight moment when the latter was striding out of the room slowly. Still, the encounter didn't last pretty long since Hakuryuu slowly averted his gaze to the giant door of the room. Kougyoku acknowledged that, and she quickly returned her attention back at Sinbad's figure.

However, just when Hakuryuu was about to step out of the room, he stumbled into three familiar figures. The three people that had been in a small, yet thrilling adventure with him.

Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana.

"Hakuryuu?"

Morgiana was the first one to voice the same thing in their minds. Yet, Hakuryuu stayed calm and composed, if not slightly cold at her reaction. The 'white dragon' of the Kou Empire merely gave the three of them a slight, casual bow, before he continued his beeline towards the outer part of the throne room. The adventurer trio wanted to say something to him, but no words were out of their mouths, for the better or worse.

"Alibaba? Aladdin? Morgiana? Do you need something?"

Everyone's attentions were averted back to the speaker, which was none other than Sinbad. His question didn't have any venom, or even intimidation at the slightest, only that of a curious one. Still sitting on his throne, the king tilted his head to his side a little inquisitively.

"Ah, no, not really-"

Always the first one to react to Sinbad's words, Alibaba answered him directly. However, he stopped his sentence when his eyes fell on a certain princess that was standing on the room as well. Obviously, Alibaba couldn't hide the slightest of surprise on his face. What was she doing here?

"Ah, right. I can tell."

Sinbad once again cut Alibaba's surprise when the bigger royal noticed where the prince's eyes had wandered. Taking a quick, deep breath, Sinbad continued.

"Princess Kougyoku of Kou Empire," Sinbad called, his tone became less easygoing. "Do you have any idea why I called you here?"

At the mention of her name, Kougyoku quickly tensed up. Sure, she –her country— had been lost, but that didn't mean that she had lost her dignity as a royal. Standing up bravely against the King of Sindria, she nodded maidenly at him again. "No, Your Majesty. I am afraid I haven't the slightest idea."

Kougyoku's strong answer was more than enough to let everyone else go silent, preferring to listen to the conversation between the two royals. Sinbad, on the other hand, managed an almost invisible smile at her. If she was able to keep her strength like that, this conversation could end up faster. Still, that faded out in a flash as his seriousness returned.

"Surely you know about what's becoming of your country, do you not?" the leader of the Seven Sea Alliance asked.

Another bow from Kougyoku as she answered. "I do, Your Highness."

"Technically, your country had lost against us," Sinbad sternly stated. "We conquered your country. Kou Empire is Sindria's to rule."

Kougyoku ruefully bit her lower lip at that. At least, he mentioned the inescapable fact. The fact that her country had lost against him, despite how she had turned her side just before the outcome of the war was clear.

"I… acknowledged that, King Sinbad."

Her shaky, doubtful tone was not left unnoticed by everyone else. In fact, Kougyoku's stature was visibly shaken when she answered that.

"Thus your fate is ours to decide," he paused a bit, emphasizing on the next sentence. "Or more exactly, _mine_ to decide."

The seriousness in Sinbad's tone was pretty far from a joke anymore. Everyone else, without an exception was now tensing up as well as Sinbad took the matter seriously. Kougyoku, on the other hand, wasn't reacting all that much, except for swallowing a lump in her throat. At the very least, the only thing she would do until her wheel of fate rolled was none other than standing courageously, showing as little flaws as she could.

"Worry not, though, princess."

As always, Sinbad surprised the whole listeners. The seriousness in his words was instantly gone, exchanged by a subtle, polite tone. Unconsciously, all pair of eyes darted toward the sole king of Sindria, whose face was smiling a warm smile as he sat on his throne.

"As of now, I could only think of two plausible options for you," Sinbad said relaxingly. "First choice is for you to return to Kou Empire, and the other one… is you to stay in Sindria. Of course, your safety is to be guaranteed at both options."

Both weren't harmful at all.

"Hakuryuu had decided his," he explained. "…Well, princess? How about you?"

At Sinbad's warm, welcoming smile, the atmosphere of the place turned total peace. As expected from Sinbad, always the wisest and the virtuous one. Alibaba, Aladdin, and Morgiana, who had actually expected something more 'dangerous', quickly let out a sigh of relief in unison.

On her end, Kougyoku's once-falling stature was rising again. Waves of relief and happiness quickly washed her inside, as shown on her face that was starting to beam up. She could stay here? She could stay with Sinbad?

"Your Highness, I—"

She abruptly stopped. Nobody expected that, even Sinbad.

Her lips were wide open, as well as her eyes, as she choked on her words. Out of sudden, she froze on her spot and she was having the biggest doubt on her life.

Why… was she having this doubt?

She had the chance. He offered him the chance. The chance to achieve her very dreams, to stay by the side of the man that she had loved up until this moment. Sinbad didn't mind, and she was more than happy to stay. There was not a single fault in choosing to stay by Sinbad's side, right?

Or was it?

Sinbad was the epitome of perfection in her, as well as many other women's, eyes. He was kind, strong, wise, gentle, and many more. He had little to none flaws inside of him. He was the ideal of the ideal. But still…

…He was the one who had killed her whole family. He obliterated her family. He killed her big brother Kouen. He was _strong enough_ to kill Kouen.

Subconsciously, as the dark times passed when she was under Alibaba's care, there was a slight change in her whenever Sinbad's name was mentioned. It had been just a crush, just a love, just an obsession once, but now… There was the little additional spice whenever his name rang in her ears just beyond that positive, heartwarming feels. A spice called 'Fear'.

Kougyoku feared Sinbad. She feared his peaceful light. She feared his calm water. She feared his warm fire. She feared him for his… everything.

"Princess?"

Sinbad questioned her, but she didn't even register his words. Then… should she resort to the other option? To go back to her own country? She wasn't the type to rule a country by herself, sure, but she would definitely try her best to do so.

If it was even possible.

Unlike Hakuryuu's, her betrayal happened just long before the war had ended, and it aired pretty quick within Kou. The tale of her betrayal wasn't something foreign in the ears of the Kou Empire's civilians anymore. What awaited her in her country was none other but a painful execution. Her already-dirty name due to her mother in the castle could only get dirtier as time passed, whether she would return there or not. Yet again, it was another 'Fear'.

"I-I…"

Both were harmless in the ears of others, indeed. But both were not what her heart favored. Both were not what she wished.

"K-King Sinbad, I-"

Her heartbeat, her breathing, her words, her knees… Everything was getting heavier. Kougyoku, who had calmed down, was now shaking on her spot again, with a reason that everybody couldn't tell.

"My lord, if I may speak a bit."

Everybody, except _him_.

All eyes were now adventuring towards a certain blonde.

He, Alibaba Saluja, was the one who just cut the conversation and was now walking forward. As if the third prince of Balbadd had just triggered a magical situation, at every step he took toward the bigger king, the wind around Alibaba seemed to be getting more enigmatic. The special pressure that only a countable amount of person possessed, the unexplainable reverie that could only be seen from one who had passed days and nights of standing up against the corruption of this world, was now armoring his figure as he walked.

Yet, it was still the most soothing and protective aura one would never expect. As Alibaba stopped dead his track just between Sinbad and Kougyoku, he bowed elegantly a little, letting those calming gales ruptured the condition.

Waves of familiarity were blowing inside of Sinbad as he witnessed Alibaba, his eyes widening in surprise, if not full amazement. However, it was gone no sooner as a smile took its place on his lips. He recognized very much what is that, for he had gone through something like that once as well.

Sad that Balbadd was now a republic country, because the charisma, the light of a true king had just shone radiantly in the young prince in front of him.

"Very well, you may speak," Sinbad commented. "Alibaba."

Rising his head again to stare back at Sinbad, Alibaba didn't choose to reassure Kougyoku nor saying anything to Morgiana and Aladdin. Instead, he motioned his arms aside, without any sort of dramatical.

"This might be a slight derailment of the topic," he began. "But please do listen to my explanation for a while."

Now, Alibaba was rotating his head slowly towards Morgiana and Aladdin, and that was where the two of them knew that this was the real deal. Nothing was going to be a joke when the usually happy and dorky Alibaba was giving the smile that was warm yet also expressing his seriousness of the topic.

"Aladdin, Morgiana…" he addressed their names as his eyes fell upon them. "I know that this isn't the best time or place to say an egoistic thing like this, but… I'm planning to go back to Balbadd."

Somehow, that came out a little surprising even for both Morgiana and Aladdin. Indeed, that was quite a self-centered statement, especially when the three of them were just gathered together. Training had separated them, and the recent war barely gave them the timing to keep in touch with each other.

Yet, it stayed understandable for them, especially for Aladdin. In the magi's eyes, Alibaba's rukh was brimming very bright, probably the most radiant that he had ever seen.

"Neither of you ever heard about this even once, I know…" as Alibaba spoke, his eyes were shining with his determination. "But I always had planned this from long ago, ever since Balbadd was reformed as a republic country."

Somewhat, he couldn't hold the ironic chuckle inside. Truthfully, he was about to say 'ever since Kassim had left me', but nobody would understand it. He was probably the only one who could still feel the man's presence around him even though it was only in the form of a thin air, probably not even Aladdin could.

Sinbad was a little amused at this. Alibaba definitely knew what he was doing. He was walking down the path of a true leader. The wielder of the Amon's sword was now turning his attention back at Sinbad, while the said man only nodded at Alibaba once. "A respectable choice, Alibaba. I shall see it to you that a ship would be arranged for you tomorrow."

This time, it was Alibaba's turns to return his gesture with a slight nod, before he said something that would change Kougyoku's life forever.

"This, King Sinbad, is where Kougyoku come in."

She was already staring at Alibaba in amazement since he had started to speak, but she got surprised even further when he suddenly mentioned her name. Nevertheless, Sinbad's, alongside the rest of the listeners' interest was grabbed by his statement as well.

"Instead of the choices you just had offered," he kept his figure stern and serious as he spoke against Sinbad. "I would like for Princess Kougyoku to come with me to Balbadd."

The audiences were exploding with surprise, and Kougyoku herself was already totally lost of how to respond.

"My king, she's-" Alibaba peeked a bit at Kougyoku over his shoulder, before he returned to Sinbad. "Her case is rather special and I can relate to her, more than you could ever imagine."

That was where everyone else was the one who was lost while Kougyoku's expression got a drastic turn. She couldn't comment on it, but she knew very well what he was speaking about. Her— No, their status as an unwanted child of the kingdom.

"Thus, I know of one thing," he paused his formal explanation. "There's something that she could only do in Balbadd. And I believe that something is more necessary than anything else for Kougyoku."

Alibaba's description remained mysterious. Not even the girl in question was able to decipher his indirect message. Still, Alibaba chose to perform another formal bow against Sinbad for yet another unknown reason, before he averted his attention at Kougyoku.

"That, of course, if she agrees to do so."

His warm amber eyes were dazzling her again when their eyes met. Just like his words, the depth of his eyes was undecipherable, even with those protective radiances overflowing around. However, as time passed, there was something that she never had thought would spark inside of her, even though she didn't have the slightest idea at.

Something that her heart agreed to do so. Something that her mind kept telling her to do so.

The most insignificant bending of her neck was making her eyes covered with the bangs of her red hair, automatically cutting the barter of gaze between her and Alibaba. Putting her action into his consideration, Alibaba once again returned his assiduity back at Sinbad.

Unsurprisingly, Sinbad's warm smile was too apparent for everyone as Alibaba's gaze recognized his. Inwardly, Sinbad was more than satisfied at Alibaba's maturity. The boy's father, one of his most influential teacher, could definitely rest in peace now if he hadn't yet. Alibaba's light as a leader was probably rivaling his right now.

"That's a marvelous option, Alibaba," Sinbad reacted, maybe a little too cheery for his own good. He just couldn't help it, Alibaba never changed, was always quite a man of surprise! Just like he had proven once back there in Balbadd. "What do you say, princess?"

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Time ticked for the longest time for Kougyoku. Yet again, this was probably another hard choice. _Harder_ than the previous one, which she just claimed as the hardest one in her life. It was not visible for anyone else, but she was rubbing her palms together in insecure, if not nervousness or noire.

Of course, even the biggest of hourglass would stop eventually, just like Kougyoku's nervousness. Clenching both of her hands in determination, the princess returned to her strong demeanor as she raised her chin up to face the reality.

Her destiny had been waiting for her for this very moment. The moment where everything about her would be decided.

"I—"

There was something that _she could only do_ by Alibaba's side at that moment, but soon, it would turn into something that _only she could do_.

Making Alibaba fall in love, genuinely.

* * *

**Just a 'bridge' chapter at best, really; Not really necessary, but indeed necessary. Just like I've said on the previous chapter, don't really want to be dismissive of other characters' importance, so this is necessary. That being said, Hakuryuu, Aladdin, Morgiana, and even Sinbad… Their time to shine in the story is about to be gone after this point. Next chapter will be centered around Balbadd, do look forward for the more-than-possible fluff.**

**...Side note, kinda shipping Hakuryuu/Morgiana personally, so probably I'll string "Hakuryuu's decision" into a separate story later. R n R, broskis.**


	3. Chapter 2 : His Home

**Wow, sorry for the long delay. I was gaming for a lot so this story was delayed for months, I still hope you guys are still with me though uwu. Thanks for reviews, favorites, and follows, guys! I'll try to write faster just for you!**

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**Chapter 2 : His Home**

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The trip to Balbadd was least noisy for Kougyoku, if one could call it like that. Or maybe that was just because she stayed inside the cabin most of the time, who knows.

Most of the time, indeed. Kougyoku was by no any means different from normal people when it came to having a limit. She sighed weakly on her bed. Maybe she should stop pondering about what Alibaba had meant by 'something that she could only do in Balbadd' for a moment. Inarguably, it was definitely the most important thing that Alibaba had about Kougyoku, but again, even though the Balbadd's prince was a gentle man, there were just always some mysteries clouding around his adolescent figure.

In the end, maybe that, as well as her boredom of staying in the cabin for too long, that had led her to enjoy some fresh air from the deck.

Unsurprisingly, Alibaba was there all the time. In comparison to Kougyoku, who was still spending her trip in a… guilt trip, Alibaba was savoring his time talking friendlily to anyone he encountered on the ship. Despite how the man had matured, that one positive trait of never changed even for a moment. Even right now, he was chatting with a sailor, laughs were traded around between their conversations.

To be honest, though, she was kinda jealous of that. Up until this point, she still had hard time making friends, where Alibaba could do pretty easily. One more thing that she respected from him.

"Hey, Kougyoku!"

When he suddenly called her name, she reacted indifferent, only mustering small nods. She only got shier when the sailor that had been talking with Alibaba turned his attention at her as well.

"Well then, Sir Alibaba," the sailor bowed a bit, realizing that his presence might disturb the lady's privacy. "I'm going to return to my job. I hope you'll enjoy our service to the fullest."

"Aah," Alibaba quickly responded. "Thank you very much. I will."

Another bow from the burly sailor before the said man left the zone, which triggered Kougyoku's will to approach Alibaba.

"Hey," he leaned his back against the wooden railing of the ship, his hands resting there. "How're you feeling now?"

What should she answer here? 'Perfectly okay'? 'Never been better'? That tone of the blatant lie of her would not work against Alibaba. Instead, she decided to join him in leaning against the railing, only that she was averting her direction to the beautiful blue sea.

"I'm… alright," she forced the answer out, although she already knew that Alibaba could tell that. "I just need some time to adjust, I guess."

"You have all the time in the world."

She could only stare back at him in a slight surprise when he suddenly added soft chuckles into his answer. She needed to rewrite her opinion about him. This man was just a box full of surprise. One time he could be pretty dorky, one time he could be pretty compassionate, and on one other time, he could be very wise. She couldn't tell exactly which the real Alibaba Saluja was.

But there was always but one thing that defined him: his honesty. Whatever he did, he would put all his determination there; whether it was to amuse his friends, to protect his friends, or such. That, perhaps, was the trait that made everyone gathered around him, Kougyoku herself included.

They were both an unwanted child of their own mother, but they were pretty far from similar. He was able to deal with his past way more effective than her. Another point that made her… envied him.

"Alibaba," she called him softly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, fire away."

A quick, gentle, yet short answer— Figures. Kougyoku lifted her neck, watching the sea of cloudless sky instead of the watery one.

"Back there… What did you mean by that?"

This time, instead of a quick answer, Alibaba seemed to be a little puzzled. Hell, he even scratched the back of his shiny golden hair dimwittedly. "Er… 'That'?"

She averted her gaze at the male, narrowing her eyes in disappointment. There, once again, he returned from the 'Gentle Alibaba' into a 'Nitwit Alibaba'.

"Something I could only do in Balbadd."

She was fighting the urge to add 'you imbecile!' as the prefix on her last statement, truth to be told. But luckily for her, she was able to stay polite and modest. So far.

Alibaba's answer came out a bit later. After around five seconds or so, after the words seemed to be absorbed by his brain, the young male sighed before he rotated on his heels so that he and Kougyoku was now facing the same direction, towards the sea.

"Curious?"

His tone was not that of a teasing one. It was a calm tone, if not a very tender one. This left Kougyoku to answer with the similar frequency, after she let out a quick sigh.

"I do."

"…Well… What can I say about this…" he explained, scratching his neck idly. "It's… You know…"

She waited for him to finish his sentence, tilting her head curiously. Yet, Alibaba appeared to be acting very awkward, as if he was thinking of the right word to express his mind. When he did answer, though, it was something that would become the basis in her life.

"You need to find it out by yourself."

That statement seemed to do magic on her, because she had kinda predicted some sort of answer from him. Didn't stop her from contemplating it, though.

What surprised Kougyoku and even _almost_ made her yelp was when she suddenly felt something warm landed on her head. Unexpectedly, it was his hand. Alibaba was… patting her on her head.

"Don't worry about it, Kougyoku!" his confident grin was plastered on his lips. "You can do it. I just know it!"

At the slightest of his touch, the princess couldn't help but felt her cheeks grew warmer. Seriously, it could get even hotter if not for the small teasing tone in his words. She had to pout slightly at him for the unnecessary pat.

"Alibaba."

The small, adorable scolding from Kougyoku only brought Alibaba to grin wider, as well as ruffling her well-maintained hair playfully, much to the girl's dismay. She didn't approve too highly of this, of course.

For the first time after the war ended, Kougyoku was acting… Kougyoku-ish. She kicked Alibaba on his shin, hard.

…

At the very least, the ship was docking at the Balbadd's port. The hot sun welcomed the new faces, for better or worse. Hundreds of heads quickly find their way to land their steps on Balbadd's hot ground, hoping to achieve the reason of why they arrived in Balbadd as fast as possible.

"Prince Alibaba!"

Alibaba Saluja and Kougyoku Ren both didn't get the chance for such way, apparently. Especially the former.

"It's our prince!"

As soon as the two were going to walk normally, dozens of people had already surrounded them, cheers and applauses were heard no sooner.

"Cheers for the greatest hero of Balbadd!"

"Make way! Make way!"

…Now Alibaba regretted informing his return to Barkak yesterday.

"H-Hey-! P-Please wait a minu—"

Without his consent, Alibaba was quickly… lifted to the air by the crowds. Flabbergasting at his current predicament, the 'hero of Balbadd' tried his best to get back down on the ground. Unfortunately for him, it was for naught. Even begging them to stop didn't save him from this situation.

Even for someone who just had (and was still) going in a deep guilty conscience like her, Kougyoku still couldn't muffle her giggles, although she did try to hide it by bringing her sleeves over her mouth. Such a sight was the most heartwarming event. Despite how Alibaba would definitely turn their compliments down, he was undoubtedly their hero. He was their inspiration.

"K-Kougyoku! H-Help-!"

She purposely ignored his plea as the young male was buoyed up high on the air, still hiding her smile behind the soft clothing around her hand. Deciding that small fiesta like this what was actually Alibaba deserved for being the country's finest leader, Kougyoku instead decided to follow the parade as they bring Alibaba ceremoniously (or unceremoniously, one's mileage may vary) to the castle by walking not far behind.

…

It didn't take too long for them to arrive at the gigantic gate of Balbadd Castle. Hell, it felt even sooner for Alibaba who was being thrown repetitively to the beautiful air by Balbadd's civilian, for he didn't waste any stamina for walking even an inch. Fortunately though, the moment the giant gate was spotted, they dropped the whole fiasco of applauding Alibaba and gently let the young prince to walk the earth again, leaving the prince to sigh on his own.

Kougyoku? She was just following idly behind, sometimes got captured in a small world of her own whenever there was something interesting passing through her vision.

"Jeez," Alibaba scratched his golden mane, letting out yet another sigh. "Those guys never changes."

At that, Kougyoku made a small, almost invisible smile as she walked just right beside him, albeit she was still hiding it from Alibaba's vision. "It's a good thing, no?"

"It's _not_ exactly the best thing, nonetheless."

He groaned as he let the more-than-happy guards opened the gate for them, stepping to the castle front yard soon after.

Again, the same cheeriness exploded as soon as the two walked in. As soon as Alibaba was noticed by a servant, dozens of other servants quickly surrounded him. Soon, it was not only servants, but bunch of those military soldiers also joined.

Alibaba's life sucked so hard.

Luckily, there was no lifting-to-the-air involved anywhere in this one, only group hugs. Still, with that many people, Alibaba was overwhelmed. He couldn't even reply, or react to them in general. Truthfully, breathing was getting rather hard for him as well due to excruciating masses around him. All that, at least until they were separating when a special someone walked in personally.

"Young master."

It was Barkak, Balbadd's general. In comparison to the last time Alibaba had seen him, Barkak had changed a bit. There was the slight white lining in Barkak's hair which was not there previously, marking the oldness of the grand general. Still, his façade remained gentle and gallant, welcoming atmosphere surrounded his figure as he spoke. All those features, of course, brought the genuine smile to Alibaba's lips.

"Barkak," a small nod came from Alibaba toward the bigger man. "You look well."

"So are you, young master." Barkak replied his gesture with a gentle bow from his part. "Welcome home. I am sorry for our liability to contain our excitement of seeing you."

"Don't sweat it, now."

He grinned back at the old general, soon engrossed into a heartwarming stare with the said man as he rose. It only took a matter of second before it grew into a full-fledged conversation between them.

She stayed silent, not saying even a single letter. The least she could do here, was knowing her place as a mere guest. Alibaba had done a lot for her, and hence, if he was content with having a chat with his 'family' first before to her, she was more than satisfied as well. She didn't really care much if there was anyone else eyeing her suspiciously, if not at all. For as long as Alibaba had his happiness.

Because that was what friends do, right?

"Ah, right! Come over here, Kougyoku!"

But boy, did he love to call her out of nowhere? Pinged, the young princess quickly raised her attention at the golden haired youth as he grinned and gestured for her to come closer. Kougyoku being Kougyoku, of course, contemplated that for a moment, shy blushes coloring her pure cheeks. Alibaba didn't even try to call her formally. He was being overly plain at addressing her in the middle of the crowds, preferring her position as a friend to a princess.

…Not that she hated it. She was happy, in fact. Still didn't mean that she was all comfortable with dozens of eyes watching her figure being treated by Alibaba as something… special.

Instead, she decided to resort her attention at the cold ground as she walked toward Alibaba, casually trying her best to not to show her shyness too much at the public. God, she felt rather awkward on so many levels like this.

But again, just like how Alibaba acted, the moment she was just beside the young prince and right across Barkak, the old general gave her a honest smile.

"Welcome to Balbadd, Princess Kougyoku."

Maybe she was… underestimating this place. It was not only Alibaba, everyone in Balbadd had the same warmth in their smiles. The smiles were intoxicating and peaceful, even the slightest of their flashes would soothe the rushing heart inside of her.

Sadly, though, she wasn't able to compose herself all that much, and she could only reply Barkak with an awkward nod. "A-Ah, y-yes-"

Fail. She failed so much. Get a grip for yourself, Kougyoku!

"I-I mean-! I-I thank you for the warm welcome-!"

She quickly tried to hide her face by bowing her head down, but of course, her strange stuttering just then would not go unheard by both of them, if not everyone else in general. Alibaba was not helping by giving a faint sneering at her. This was Kougyoku's cue to blush further.

Suddenly, she felt a sudden urge to smack Alibaba on the head. Hard.

"Barkak, I know I shouldn't ask you this, but could you please accompany Kougyoku to the guest room?"

…Or maybe not. He was also the one who dismissed it, so again, she might owe him another one.

"You should feel no bad, my prince," Barkak bowed in pleasure at Alibaba. "Your wish is always my command."

The third prince looked at the older man in awe for a bit before he let out with a sigh of relief. While it was not exactly a bad thing, he just couldn't escape this special treatment, could he? He then shrugged a bit as he dropped his goods gently on the pavement before he turned around to approach to Kougyoku, in which the said girl tilted her head questioningly in response.

"Kougyoku, please have a good rest and enjoy your time here," he smiled. "I'll meet you later by the dining room for lunch, okay?"

She said nothing but her eyes already spilled her entire curiosity at him.

_What are you going to do, Alibaba?_

Miraculously, the golden haired prince seemed to be able to read her gaze.

"I need to go somewhere first."

Again, her gaze said everything. _Where?_ _Can I come with-_

She let her question unfinished when she noticed that his expression was different than how it should be. His smile, for once, seemed to be rather dry and empty.

"Somewhere I need to check personally," he smiled at her, rather bitterly. "All by myself."

Biting her lower lip apologetically, she gave him a swift nod in return. She shouldn't question him further.

With that, Alibaba walked past Kougyoku outside of the castle yard. Her ruby spheres stared at him longingly for a while before she walked to the separate destination, following Barkak.

…

It didn't take her too long to settle to her assigned room. The place was not exactly big, but the furniture was designed beautifully and neat and it made her comfortable already. It was different from her own room back in Kou or Sindria, but she somehow could already feel that this room was going to be comfy on its own level.

Still, the crimson haired princess stayed still by the end of the bed, sitting idly as she stared at the beautiful sun through the open window. It was almost time for lunch, but she didn't feel like going. Or at the very least, not by herself.

She wanted to walk with him. Her friend. Her savior. It was merely a simple thing like walking together, but it would make her very happy. She knew that she was asking too much, but…

Kougyoku let out a tired sigh before she rose from the bed. She really needed to stop being such a spoiled little girl now. Brushing her long skirt for a moment, she then started her beeline toward the door, only to get interrupted by loud knocks before her door.

"Kougyoku, you're here?"

It was Alibaba's voice. A voice that she somehow longed for. Of course, overwhelmed by her feelings to see him, she quickly opened the door.

And before it, Alibaba stood there like a dork, his hand scratching his shiny yellow hair awkwardly. Again, she felt that she still had long, long path before she could tell which one the true Alibaba was.

"Er, sorry," he nervously stated. "I forgot that you might not know where the dining room is. I'm here to show you where it is… I guess?"

She felt like giving him a hard kick on his shin once again for his dorkiness, but she did nothing of sort. Instead, she only stared at his amber eyes wordlessly, lost in her thought.

"Kougyoku?"

She could question about where he had gone before, but there was another important question that she should ask first.

"…Alibaba, may I have a moment?"

He blinked inquisitively, but before he could do anything to express his curiosity, the young princess of Kou had already yanked his arm and pulled him back to the room, closing the door swiftly soon. She then pushed the still-surprised Alibaba and trapped him between herself and the door, her eyes never left his amber ones. If any, it was getting more intensified as time passed.

Kougyoku might not be able to tell Alibaba, but it worked the other way around as well. He was so lost at words of what the hell were she trying to pull at him.

"K-Kougyoku…?" Considering how he was a normal, hormonal young man and how… embarrassing the position he was currently in, Alibaba was starting to blush furiously. "W-what is it?"

Out of sudden, her ruby eyes left his and she pulled back, although her expression stayed serious. Before Alibaba could question her previous action, she was already moving her arm to pull the thick needle on her hair.

"Alibaba, I want you to keep this."

It was her metal vessel, her Djinn. She was giving it to him.

Every surprise that Alibaba had kept until that point exploded. At first, he thought she was joking, but when his eyes scanned her firm and unyielding eyes, he could easily tell she was dead serious.

"It's impossible, Kougyoku. That Djinn is yours and-"

"I beg of you, Alibaba," she quickly tugged one of his arm without his consent, passing the hairpin to him. "Please."

Obviously, Alibaba would stick to his original answer to refuse her request. After all, even though he had his hand on her metal vessel, her Djinn would not obey him. A Djinn had but one definite master, and for this one certain Vinea, Kougyoku was its master.

His objection was left unsaid when he noticed her sudden change of expression.

She was crying.

"I-I've… had enough…" Her crystal tears fell like rain to the floor. "I… don't want to hurt anyone anymore…"

Alibaba froze on his spot, unable to even open his mouth to form a reaction. Especially when her head fell upon his hand, now starting to wet it.

"…Please, Alibaba. Please…"

He… couldn't do anything else but obey her request at this point.

"Alright."

This wasn't supposed to happen, but as soon as he voiced his answer, Kougyoku turned her face at him, smiling brightly like a sun, as if she had found a resolution to keep on living, which was probably literally true.

Inwardly, he let out a small sight. Well, if he could get rid of Kougyoku's crying face, it was worth it.

"Thank you, Alibaba! Thank you so much!"

"…Only on one condition, however," he quickly interjected her burst, much to his own dismay, since he generally hated to burst people's balloon. Kougyoku herself gave an 'Eh?' along with a small headtilt as Alibaba finished his sentence. "This is still yours. I am only keeping it for you. Your hairpin will be in my room and you're free to grab it anytime you want even without my permission."

From his words, she could understand what he was aiming for. Since it was a win-win condition, she gave him a slight nod of affirmation.

"…Very well, I agree to your terms."

"Then, it's a deal. Also- "

Not even waiting for Kougyoku's response, his arm quickly moved to her cheek, gently wiping the trails of tears from it. The Kou princess was a little surprised by his sudden touch, but she did nothing much but stare back at Alibaba while shade of reds were coloring her pure cheeks.

"-There, you absolutely look better when you smile, Kougyoku."

Her heart quickly skipped a beat.

If she hadn't blushed hard before, this was definitely the moment where her cheeks were practically flooding with reds. And when Alibaba added THAT smile of him into the fray? Kougyoku's heart felt like exploding.

Up until now, she never really noticed it. But up this close, his eyes were beautiful and he was so good-looking. Although maybe he was still not as handsome as Sinbad…

…There was something in her heart that argued with that, however. Right now, Alibaba might be in par with Sinbad in the terms of appearance.

Or maybe he was even more handsome than Sinbad.

"Kougyoku?"

His question brought her out of her trance. Sadly, the blushes on her face were not disappearing all that fast. She gasped in horror, still trying her best to dismiss the blushes on her cheeks. Oh, Solomon… She was embarrassed enough now. The only worse thing that could happen here was letting him notice this current color of her face.

This was a desperate time for her, and desperate time always called for desperate measure.

"T-Then let us have our lunch, Alibaba!"

She quickly broke the ice by (once again) forcefully yanking his arm and dragging him back outside of her room, with Alibaba yelping in surprise. He had to admit already: He didn't even have the slightest idea how she could turn so hyper after crying like that.

"K-Kougyoku, wait a minute-! Do you even know where the dining-"

"M-Mister Barkak pointed it to me already!"

"G-Good thing, then. B-But could you please stop pulling me like that?"

She left him with no further response, much to the Balbadd's prince chagrin. She kept dragging him along with her, and he was trying his best to keep his balance on, or at the very least, to not to fall with his face first to the floor.

On the other hand, Kougyoku was overlooking his discomfort. She was too busy fighting this new feeling that kept beating inside her heart. She knew that denying this feeling was useless, for it would only grow stronger as time passed and no matter how much she denied it… In the end, she knew that it was always a possibility ever since she decided to follow him. It was still faint, but it was happening.

Kougyoku Ren was falling in love with Alibaba Saluja.

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**Dohohoho, let's play this slow.**


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